


Chess

by FurthestAshes



Category: Original Work
Genre: Animals, Gen, Ravens, Short, Talking Animals, Wolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29785410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FurthestAshes/pseuds/FurthestAshes
Summary: A short story about coming to terms with yourself.





	Chess

**Author's Note:**

> This was for my fiction class but I'm very proud of it!

My parents loved me. They shielded me from the sun, and on occasion, that evil moon. I’m a nocturnal bird now. While the other corvids tend to snuggle in, I awake to pick off what they left behind. Its easy to see at night, except when the moon is out. Like the sun, it also burns. 

This night, I soar over my own domain. It’s quiet, and serene, and the sky is inky black, just like me. I blend in so well. So much so, that I end up startling the other hunters of the night. Except for one, but he isn’t here. I shouldn’t have to worry about him tonight. 

The cool wind carries me like it carries autumn, and with it the scent of an abandoned kill wafts towards me. I descend silently, into the blackness of the forest. Below is a deer, nearly gone, but I still bend down to take a bite. I tend to wonder who it is that I’m eating, but by the time I get to them, they’re unrecognizable. I stop wondering and enjoy my meal.

“Hey!” I hear in the trees. A lone badger waddles from the brush.

“Hello.” I ruffle my dark feathers, the badger’s eyes glint. “Was this yours?”

“No,” he sniffs the air. “Are you real?”

It’s a strange thing to say to a stranger, so I pause before my answer.

“I’m just a raven.”

The badger seems unnerved and backs away. 

“I know what a raven is. You aren’t a raven.”

What a strange accusation! 

“I hunt at night, just like an owl. It’s not so peculiar.” I caw, agitated. 

The clouds above us shift, and horror reaches into the furthest corners of my mind. The moon is full, and it blasts its rays into the trees. The badger takes off in the other direction, and I know why.

He is here.

I see stark white from the corner of my eye and take off. I beat my wings as hard as can to escape him, but he follows me out of the trees. He’s right behind me! I dive back down, then up, to evade him. The wind becomes tense as the air rotates, and the its beating becomes deafening. I don’t dare look back. I fly, streamlined, past groves and banks, perfectly illuminated. 

That evil moon is bright and full, and its grave smile mocks me. I can see the forests clearly, but with the light, he can find me. I must escape. I dive once more, into the rocky caves of the clear lake below. Nothing is familiar in the light, and I don’t recognize this lake. 

I lose him once I enter the cave, and comforting darkness surrounds me once again. I deflate with a sigh, my wings ache.

“Who’s there?” a booming voice echoes, and I jump. I hear the movement of many bodies, but I don’t dare leave.

“I-I am a raven!” I stammer.

“I see. We are the wolves of this forest. Why are you here?” It feels like the voice is coming from everywhere at once.

“I was being chased by a demon.” Snickers of laughter bounce around.

“It’s true!” I squawk.

“What does this demon look like?”

“He only appears in the light and is as white as the snow. He is much bigger than I am.” This sends more snickers around the cave. The air shifts.

“Hm. I will fight this demon.” 

“No! You mustn’t!” I plea. 

I stay near the edge of the cave as a body brushes past me, and the moon bathes it’s fur white. 

“Come.” The wolf looks back, and his eyes are copper. 

I am fastened to the ground with fear. The wolf continues towards the bank of the lake, the place where I will never go. He continues and sits by the shore. The moon shines.

I edge towards the entrance, taking careful steps. Once my foot is in moonlight, I recoil. 

I steel myself once more, and as I step into the light, I refuse to look anywhere but up, and scamper to the bank.

The wolf looks down at me.

“I know of this demon.” His voice startles me.

“You do?”

“Yes. Look into the water, and he will be there.” 

I glance down, and I see him. He is large, larger than anything I’ve ever seen, and his eyes are red like blood. It sends a chill down my spine, and I nearly topple over, for he is staring at me. I have never seen him face to face before. But as soon as I retreat from the bank, he is gone. 

The wolf seems amused.

“I don’t understand,” I cry, and I see white in the corner of my eye again, so I shut them.

“Open your eyes and look at the water once more.” The wolf’s presence fills me with a strange bravery. 

I hop towards the bank, and the demon is there, staring at me. So, I stare back. I am shaking. I look closer. He is shaking too. The wolf looks down at the demon, and suddenly there is two of him. I glance around the lake, and realize there is two of everything, including the moon. I spread my wings, and so does he.

As soft clouds drift over the moon, the demon’s wings fade, and mine turn back to black, as if painted by the sky. The wolf’s fur turns black as well. Just as fast as it does, the moon appears again, and my wings are painted white. I turn away from the moon, and down on the ground is yet another demon, but he is black, with massive wings and no eyes. 

They are both me. I feel breathless. This epiphany is jarring.

“Thank you” I try to say to the wolf, but as I turn to him, he is gone.

I fly away, and my demons do too.


End file.
